COVID-19: Maharashtra death toll reaches 521 as 36 more succumb

Maharashtra's COVID-19 death toll climbed to 521 as 36 more deaths were reported on Saturday -- the highest single-day figure so far in the state -- while the total cases increased to 12,296, health officials said here.

The state's death toll was 485 on Friday and total coronavirus patients 11,506.

Of the 36 deaths, 27 were recorded in Mumbai, taking the city's death toll from 295 to 322. The number of coronavirus positive patients in the city shot up from yesterday's 7,812 to 8,359, a jump of 547 cases.

At least three policemen stationed outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshri' in Bandra tested positive. They have since been quarantined and their contacts are being traced, said official sources.

This is the third such incident outside the CM's residence after a tea-seller tested positive in the area in late March, followed by a woman constable posted outside the CM's official residence 'Varsha' at Malabar Hill, the sources said.

Senior Cabinet Minister Jitendra Awhad is already under treatment for COVID-19 for the past over a week.

Alarm bells went off in Nanded, which was until now in the Orange Zone, after 26 persons tested positive, PWD Minister Ashok Chavan said here on Saturday.

"The spread is suspected through some persons who had arrived in buses from Punjab, who lived in the area gurdwara. Consequently, the entire gurdwara premises have been quarantined, but there's no cause of worry and the situation is under control," Chavan said in a media statement.

Taking a significant step, Maharashtra became the first state in the country to provide free and cashless COVID-19 treatment to its entire population under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) insurance scheme, Health Minister Rajesh Tope has announced.

Besides Mumbai's 27 deaths, Pune recorded 3 new casualties, 3 in Amravati, 1 each in Palghar and Aurangabad, besides a West Bengal resident who died in Mumbai.

Among the 36 casualties, 28 were men and 8 women, and more than 70 per cent suffered from other serious ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and asthma.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (Thane Division) continued to cause big worries with 348 COVID-19 deaths and 9,709 patients so far.

On the positive side, 121 cured patients returned home on Saturday, taking the total such cases to 2,000.

Meanwhile, the number of people in home quarantine increased from Friday's 163,026 to 174,933 and those in institutional quarantine increased from 11,677 to 12,623, and the state's containment zones increased from 792 a day earlier to 844 on Saturday.